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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. swing — to play on
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. swing — music
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. swing — in golf
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. race — a contest
  15. kick — in football
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. race — humankind
  22. bore — to tire
  23. degree — from a university
  24. race — the arms race

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com